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Thread: [SWSE] Lethality
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2010-02-07, 09:46 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2008
[SWSE] Lethality
Is it just me, or is it really easy for PCs to avoid death in SWSE? Since you can spend a Force Point to avoid death, it takes two attacks on downed PCs in a round to kill them. Short of having NPCs waste actions to finish them off, it doesn't seem easy to cause PC death. In the game I've been running since SWSE's release, I've yet to see 1 PC death. I'm not necessarily calling this a bad thing, but it has been quite noticeable.
Has anyone else had similar experiences?
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2010-02-07, 09:49 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2009
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Re: [SWSE] Lethality
Force points are not that common, though. So it only takes two bad rounds in a battle for a PC to be dead.
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2010-02-07, 09:53 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2005
- Location
- Toronto, Canada
- Gender
Re: [SWSE] Lethality
I would say that there are two reasons for this.
1) Saga Edition tends to be based around an action-oriented template. In the course of the six major Star Wars movies, how many main characters die? I can only count four - Qui-Gonn, Mace Windu, Vader, and Palpatine. Of those four, two are opposed to the main characters at the time, and a third is clearly choosing to sacrifice himself, and thus probably is spending his Force Point on more plot-interesting effects.
2) There's no ressurection in Star Wars Saga, unlike in D&D. The result is that death is permanent, so you don't want it to be too easy.If you like my thoughts, you'll love my writing. Visit me at www.mishahandman.com.
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2010-02-07, 09:57 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2008
Re: [SWSE] Lethality
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2010-02-07, 09:59 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2009
- Gender
Re: [SWSE] Lethality
Granted, it's been a while since I played. But I don't recall us having more than a few at a time. Perhaps that was just our DM's style, though.
Some things I do that you might enjoy:
Chaotic Shiny - Random generators of all types for gaming and writing (including characters, names, taverns, cities, pantheons, languages, and 60+ more)
Chaotic Shiny Productions - Flavor-packed D&D supplements (mostly 4e), plus some systemless free products and software
Latest: Kingdom Builder Generator Pack II
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2010-02-07, 10:00 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2009
Re: [SWSE] Lethality
Why is this so implausible? Between ruthless enemies cognizant of peoples' hardiness, hostage-takers, slavers, et cetera, unconscious fellows aren't necessarily safe.
Also, it helps the PCs' consciences, sort of, since any NPCs downed can just be taken unconscious to the local prison.
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2010-02-07, 10:04 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2008
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2010-02-08, 12:49 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2009
Re: [SWSE] Lethality
Also remember that you are unconscious and your party either has to win the encounter or drag you out under fire*, so you can spend that FP and still die/be imprisoned.
* This is where STR being a popular SWSE dump stat comes back to bite people.Last edited by raitalin; 2010-02-08 at 12:50 AM.
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2010-02-08, 01:09 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2007
- Location
- Canada Land
- Gender
Re: [SWSE] Lethality
I would say your not taking into account just how lethal combat can be. With both HP and the condition track to watch out for there is a higher need to use those force powers. Also death in this game is permanent. It is going to be harder to kill someone. There are a few ways to cheat death, but it involves a destiny point. In my games I use the Rebellion Guides background system instead of Destiny. Adds some lethality, and it really gives the game more of an average guy feel. As opposed to a super heroic bad ass jumping all over and kicking ass.
There are also plenty of optional rules around to make combat more lethal. I am pretty sure there are a few in the wizards articles.They say hope begins in the dark, but most just flail around in the blackness...searching for their destiny. The darkness... for me... is where I shine. - Riddick
Exile
Deny a monochrome future!!! -Radio Gosha-
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2010-02-08, 01:23 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2007
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2010-02-08, 02:21 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2007
- Location
- Canada Land
- Gender
Re: [SWSE] Lethality
I know. It's a good illusion. It really makes for sad deaths when they finally do die. My most recent one was a player who was new to my game.
Instead of staying behind his ally with a flamethrower. He decided it was prudent to sprint down a 40 Meter corridor infested with nothing but nasty little droch beetles. Millions of them, and he was like... level 2... or 3. Needless to say he was disappointed and never came back. When my friend told me about him he was apparently used to playing in games where "He would dual wield gods, and stomp on nations as footsteps, and where the rule of cool was the only real rule". Needless to say even if he lived, I doubt he would have liked my game. I let the rule of cool apply only in the most badass and cool of situations, not for every random thought one might have. It tends to diminish the effect until all you have is clown syndrome.They say hope begins in the dark, but most just flail around in the blackness...searching for their destiny. The darkness... for me... is where I shine. - Riddick
Exile
Deny a monochrome future!!! -Radio Gosha-